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PUTTING ART INTO PRACTICE Neil Rampe, manual and performance therapist for Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, is certified in a variety of modalities, including massage and sound assisted soft tissue mobilization (SASTM), but he sought ART training to address upper body issues in his clients. "ART is super-specific," Rampe says. Rampe found that his ART training made him better at assessing the cause of his clients' issues. "The difference between a good therapist and a great therapist is your ability to sift out the details," he says. "Instead of kind of being in the ballpark, you can address the issue head on if you know what to look for. You can't fix something if you don't know it even exists, and once you know it exists, you need to know how to find it." Because reproducible results are often hard to come by when working with soft-tissue injuries and conditions, ART's standardized treatment protocols appeal to Rampe. When an athlete is sent to him for ART, he knows exactly which protocol to use. This also allows athletes from other states Speak Their Language "Most high-level athletes have a whole team of helpers, with massage figuring prominently in the team, so communicating with other team members is crucial," says Jason Pederson, a licensed massage therapist and massage therapy instructor with more than 15 years of experience utilizing manual therapies and corrective exercise for both professional and collegiate athletes. If your practice includes working with athletes who utilize their shoulders for their professions, Pederson recommends getting a working diagnosis from a doctor or physical therapist and learning the working language of other professionals. "Being able to speak with a physical therapist, medical doctor, or athletic trainer is really important," Pederson says. "I recommend learning as much anatomy and physiology, global movement mechanics, and injury management training as you can. There are some really good courses out there that deal with orthopedic assessment, which is essential when determining if something may be within your scope of practice." to receive standardized treatment from an ART practitioner when they are traveling. ART offers 106 protocols for dealing with upper extremities, including peripheral nerve entrapments. It is helpful for addressing tennis elbow, shoulder injuries, and carpal tunnel syndrome. With lower extremities, ART has 96 protocols, including peripheral nerve entrapments, which can be used to address everything from the toes to the hips. For low-back and hip problems, ART has 82 protocols, including peripheral nerve entrapments in the cervical, lumbar, and thoracic spine. SOFT-TISSUE MOBILIZATION If your clients have postoperative scar tissue or densely restricted tissue, an instrument-assisted technique, such as SASTM, Graston Technique, ASTYM, and the 2,000-year-old Gua Sha, combined with eccentric exercise may yield far better results. www.abmp.com. See what benefits await you. 97